This invention relates to interactive media systems, and more particularly, to interactive media guidance applications that provide a user interface for receiving information about and requesting access to media. In particular, the present invention relates to providing groups of media channels in an interactive media guidance application to enable improved user guidance and functionality in the guidance application.
Media delivery systems, such as cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems, the Internet, and satellite radio systems, provide users with a large number of media channels, such as television channels, radio stations, and Internet web sites. These media channels provide programming in a number of different media, such as video programming (e.g., broadcast television programming, on-demand video programming), audio programming (e.g., music channels, audio-on-demand programming), and interactive applications (e.g., games and shopping applications). In view of the myriad media channels provided to users, interactive media guidance applications are needed to provide a user-friendly interface that organizes information, such as media listings, enable access to the media programming, and provide other advanced functions that improve the user's media experience.
A common type of interactive media guidance application is a television program guide application, which is typically implemented on a user set-top box. Such program guides allow users to view program listings for multiple television channels in different display formats. For example, a user may instruct the program guide to display a grid or table of program listings organized in a channel-ordered or a time-ordered list. Users may also search and sort program listings by genre (e.g., movies, sports, etc.) or by title (i.e., alphabetically). A user may obtain additional information for a program by placing a highlight region on a desired program listing and pressing an information request button. The user may set a television channel as a favorite channel, lock access to a program or channel, and purchase a pay program or pay channel from the program guide. The user may select a program for recording or set a reminder to watch a program. However, with the advent of other types of platforms for accessing media programming (e.g., personal digital assistants, personal media players, cellular phones, personal computers, gaming platforms), the need for media guidance now extends beyond television and television program guides. Interactive media guidance applications are now implemented on any platform that enables the user to access media programming. Even in television systems, the type of media programming provided is no longer limited to television programming, and interactive television program guides now also provide guidance for other types of media programming (e.g., music programming, interactive gaming applications, etc.).
With so many media channels available to the user, what is needed is a sophisticated approach for organizing media channels, media listings, and descriptive information in an interactive media guidance application such that the user is more easily and naturally guided to media programming of interest to the user.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an interactive media guidance application that focuses the user's attention on a group of media channels, that provides focused information on a group of media channels, and that executes a function of the guidance application on a group of media channels.